DMAA Safety Issues

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Drugmakers and retailers that deal in dietary supplements containing the controversial stimulant dimethylamylamine (DMAA) are coming under increased scrutiny as questions of source and safety mount. According to a recent article published on nutraingredients.com, many of the safety issues surrounding DMAA arise from misuse and inadvertent overdosing of the stimulant. In recent months, dietary supplements containing DMAA have been linked to a number of serious side effects including hyperthermia, irregular heartbeats, seizures, heart attacks and strokes.

DMAA Update 7/16/12: Researchers from the University of Texas, Arlington, recently tested and compared a number of DMAA-containing dietary supplements against commercially available geranium extracts, and detected no presence of the controversial substance in the geranium samples. The source of DMAA is a hot button issue as of late, because it could ultimately determine the outcome of a string of class action lawsuits filed against DMAA manufacturers and distributors. Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 6/20/12: This week, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) warned Australians not to consume dietary supplements containing the controversial ingredient dimethylamylamine (DMAA). The Australian Federal Department of Health and Ageing and the Advisory Committee on Medicines Scheduling are considering a ban on the substance, and are set to meet at the end of the month when the problem will be ‘urgently discussed.’ Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 5/14/12: Despite a recent FDA crackdown on DMAA-containing bodybuilding products, the Army will continue its research into the effects of the controversial dietary supplement ingredient. According to a Department of Defense (DOD) spokesperson, the military has an ‘intense interest’ in the results of the Army Public Health Command’s ongoing research on DMAA. Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 5/8/12: Ten days after the FDA sent letters to a number of dietary supplement manufacturers requesting safety information on their DMAA-containing products, Harvard researcher Dr. Pieter Cohen is calling for an outright nationwide ban on the controversial ingredient. “The main message about DMAA is that it should be avoided,” says Cohen, who is an internist at Cambridge Health Alliance and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. “This ingredient should never have been in supplements in first place.” Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 5/7/12: As DMAA’s future regulatory status appears bleak, dietary supplement manufacturers are scrambling to come up with effective alternatives. But the question remains, will DMAA’s replacement be safe to use as directed, or something just as controversial? Click here to learn more.

DMAA Lawsuit Update 5/4/12: Four DMAA supplement manufacturers who received warning letters from the FDA late last month have been slapped with class action lawsuits alleging their products are ‘illegal and dangerous.’ The litigation process will be watched closely, as the cases center around a hotly-debated point of contention regarding new dietary ingredients (NDIs): that synthetic versions of botanical derivatives are not classified as dietary ingredients, and are therefore not permitted for use in supplement products. Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 4/27/12: The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) today sent warning letters to 10 manufacturers and distributors of DMAA-containing dietary supplements for marketing products whose safety has not been proven. Specifically, the FDA’s letters accuse the companies of marketing products for which a notification has not been submitted for the use of DMAA as a New Dietary Supplement (NDI). Click here to learn more.

Dietary Supplement Update 4/10/12: Less than a third of active soldiers discuss dietary supplement use with their doctors prior to taking them, according to a new study about drug use by military service members. Many of these individuals don’t consider the use of supplements to affect medications. However, when taken simultaneously, prescription drugs and dietary supplements can significantly increase a person’s risk of potentially life-threatening side effects. Click here to learn more.

DMAA Update 3/9/12: DMAA is to be banned in New Zealand after numerous reports of serious side effects and at least one stroke. It is the first substance other than a synthetic cannabinoid to be banned in New Zealand using the Temporary Class Drug Notices, and is scheduled to be completely off the country’s store shelves by early next month. Click here to learn more.

Free DMAA Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one has been seriously injured after taking a dietary supplement containing DMAA, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a suit against the manufacturer of the dietary supplement and we can help.

What’s the problem?

The central issue currently causing the most debate about DMAA is the question of whether the stimulant is – as many supplement companies content – derived from the geranium plant, or whether it is a synthetically manufactured compound. Is it authorized for use in dietary supplements or not?

The sourcing issue is of particular relevance to DMAA manufacturers, because if the stimulant does indeed come from the geranium plant, then botanical grandfathering may be key to the ingredient’s legitimacy. USP Labs, which manufactures DMAA-containing dietary supplements such as Jack3d and OxyElite Pro, claims to have scientific evidence that the substance does indeed come from special geraniums from the Rongjiang region of the Guizhou province, but it has yet to come forward with the documents.

Instead of clearing the air and setting things straight, USP Labs put up a website called DMAAresearch.com that defends the antiquated and highly questionable 1996 Ping study which supposedly found DMAA in geranium oil.

As one quoted study notes (Jain, 2001): “Significant work on geranium essential oil has been carried out in different parts of India and it was found that chemical composition is influenced by location, drying of biomass prior to distillation, age of the leaves, method of distillation, application of growth regulators, storage of oil, presence of weed, wilt disease, and the effect of the semi-arid tropical climate.”

Which only makes matters pertaining to the actual source of DMAA more unclear. If USP Labs has actual scientific evidence as to the sourcing issue, why is it holding it back, instead choosing to rely on information that could only be considered highly questionable? Many familiar with these issues feel that USP Labs needs to come clean, sooner rather than later.

Do You Have a DMAA Lawsuit?

The Product Liability & Defective Drug Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in DMAA lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new hyperthermia, seizure, heart attack, stroke and death cases in all 50 states.

Free DMAA Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury after taking a dietary supplement containing DMAA, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a DMAA suit and we can help.